Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Jorge Masvidal has quickly turned into one of the most popular fighters in mixed martial arts (MMA) today. With consecutive knockout wins over the likes of Darren Till, Ben Askren, and Nate Diaz, “Gamebred” has experienced a Conor McGregor-like rise to stardom over the past 12 months.
As a result of his recent Octagon success and increasing notoriety, Masvidal has deservedly earned a shot to challenge UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman this July for the undisputed 170-pound crown.
With so much hype surrounding his upcoming 2020 campaign, “Gamebred” is doing what he can to promote himself, promote his next fight, and increase his already vast amount of followers. That is why Masvidal was seen doing a meet-and-greet at a Hooters in Houston, Texas, earlier this week while in town for UFC 247.
The scene was quite bizarre, as fight fans of all ages and backgrounds lined up outside of the restaurant and into the parking lot for a chance to see Masvidal in person. Check out the footage below courtesy of MMA Junkie:
Look at this incredible turnout for @GamebredFighter‘s meet and greet in Houston. #UFC247 pic.twitter.com/HGLdOuJl3V
— MMA Junkie (@MMAjunkie) February 8, 2020
In addition to his Hooters invasion, “Gamebred” spoke with media members during a small scrum earlier this week in Houston. While Masvidal discussed a little bit of everything the hottest topic remained his recent altercation with Usman during Super Bowl week in Miami, Florida, in which “Gamebred” and “Nigerian Nightmare” nearly came to blows following explicit verbal exchanges.
“Nothing was going to happen there,” explained Masvidal (h/t MMA Fighting). “I’m not going to touch somebody that’s already incapacitated and (expletive). He’s a punk and I just wanted to tell him to his face, ‘I’m going to (expletive) you up.’ I don’t know what he got so upset about. I just wanted to tell him the truth that I’m going to (expletive) you up when we finally fight. He always says he wants people to keep that same energy and say it to his face, that’s exactly what I did.”
“He’s got like 38 personalities,” continued Masvidal. “Every week I keep finding a new one. I don’t like any of them so far. I’ve known this guy for a while and he wasn’t that guy before. He was asking me for pictures and handshakes back in the day. Really his name is Kamarudeen. It’s not even Kamaru. He actually shortened up his real birth name. This guy is just a head case of head cases.”
Masvidal will have plenty of time to prepare for his grudge match with Usman this summer, but for now “Gamebred” will be mixing it up with his fans for this weekend’s UFC event in Houston.
UFC 247 will go down later tonight (Sat., Feb. 8, 2020) live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, with a light heavyweight title fight between current champion Jon Jones and Dominick Reyes serving as the main event. The co-headliner will pit reigning UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko against dangerous striker Katlyn Chookagian.